


A Visit

by smolalienbee



Series: Elijah Kamski's demons [21]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Related, Canon Universe, Character Study, Feelings, Gen, Late Night Conversations, Mental Health Issues, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Questions, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 17:36:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17471960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolalienbee/pseuds/smolalienbee
Summary: Recently awoken Nine struggles with questions and doubts plaguing his mind. There's just one god knowledgeable enough to help him.





	A Visit

**Author's Note:**

> Alright! Here we are with another chapter. I come with a bit of bad news this time, though. This will probably be the last chapter of the series (or there'll be a long hiatus). Lately I've been far more focused on other projects, making visual novels and other stuff, it's been a while since I properly sat down to write something for this series and getting back into the swing of it is pretty difficult (not to mention I have a hard time with coming up with new ideas). I wanted to have a proper ending for this series but so far I wasn't able to come up with anything satisfactionary (I started, like, writing a few other chapters but they feel lackluster and out of character). So for now, this is the end. It's not set in stone, really - even if I don't write anything major plot-wise, I may pop in every now and then with a drabble set in this universe, or something like that. We'll see - for any possible updates on the series (or any other projects), you can check out my other social media (I'm mostly active on ig and twitter, smolalienbee on both). 
> 
> For now, though, I want to really really thank all of you for reading, for all the kudos and comments! It really means a lot and it's what pushed me to keep this series going for so long. It's crazy how it all started with one drabble written at 3 AM and evolved into this. I never expected so many people to read it and enjoy it. I'm really thankful for all of it - this series has helped me get back into writing and it's also the reason why I've managed to get into making visual novels and text-based games. It has only been a few months since it all started, but those months have been filled with projects that I never thought I'd work on. And I'm completely honest when I say that it's all thanks to you, guys.
> 
> Alright, this was sappy enough. This one's a lil short, but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless! And see you around!

_Buzzing. Ringing_

It was rare for Elijah to sleep so well. It seemed like memories of the night he spent with Connor were enough to chase the dark thoughts away, enough for him to sleep sound, even while alone.

_The buzzing repeated. Over and over again._

That was, until the noises made him rose from his peaceful slumber.

He grumbled, tossing in the bed. His eyes felt heavy as he blinked them open.

He stared at the ceiling

_Ringing. Ringing. Ringing._

Someone was at the door. Who would be there so late? The only person that could come there uninvited was Connor. But at this hour? Something was off.

He kicked the sheets off and slowly stood up.

He grabbed the gun hidden in the nightstand. Better safe than sorry.

Barefoot, he made his way through the house, quiet as a mouse and keeping all the lights off.

It was cold; he shivered, but his hands remained steady where they gripped the gun. He didn't want to be jumped.

The doorbell rang repeteadly, every few seconds. The break between the ringing seemed to be of the same length everytime.

Elijah expected everything and anything. Almost anything.

He was surprised when he reached the monitor and saw the camera feed, showing who was standing in front of his door. As soon as he saw that face, he let out a breath and opened up the door. He made his way to the entrance hall to greet the unexpected visitor.

“Nine, what are you doing here?”

The last time Elijah had seen the android in person was at the Andersons' house – the day Connor woke him up. It hadn't been that long since then and the two of them, Elijah and Nine, simply hadn't had a chance to meet again. Kamski only heard about the android from Connor.

And from what he heard, it seemed like RK900 was doing well for himself. Thanks to his newfound family, he was growing accustomed to his deviancy, to the amount of external input he had to experience. They found ways to deal with Nine's sensory overload; to lessen the stress caused by it. The android still couldn't handle all the stimuli, had trouble processing bright or loud rooms, cluttered spaces. He got restless often and had trouble with focus; simple coin tricks not enough to calm his running mind.

They were figuring it out as they went along, Connor told him. But they were certainly making good progress. Sumo was great help in the whole situation, able to gain Nine's attention in mere seconds.

Seeing Nine in front of the door was a shock for Elijah.

“Nine?” Elijah repeated, seeing the android's eyes drifting all over the place.

It was the first time he was there since he was woken up, so his curiosity wasn't strange. But Elijah would much rather find out soon why he was there. And alone? It was worrying. Kamski knew Connor and Hank usually didn't let their eyes off Nine.

The android blinked rapidly, his LED spinning yellow. His gaze finally flickered to the man in front of him.

“Elijah,” he said, as if he was confirming to himself who was standing there.

“Why are you here?” Kamski repeated, slowly.

He could barely make out Nine's outline in the darkness of the hall, but he made no move to turn on the lights. He couldn't get a good read on the state Nine was in and he knew better than to startle him. Especially when it was just the two of them, far from the rest of the world. Elijah wouldn't be able to help Nine, nor would he be able to protect himself in case the android's reaction was violent.

“I wanted to talk,” Nine's response was sudden, as if he had just now processed Elijah's question.

“It's late. And why are you here alone? Does Connor or Hank even know you're here?”

Nine stared right at him, Elijah could see that much even in the dim lightning of the room.

He briefly wondered if that was how people felt under his own gaze. Uneasy.

“No,” he responded simply. He opened his mouth, but didn't continue, his eyes suddenly wandering around the room again.

Elijah sighed. He wasn't srue if he had enough patience to deal with Nine's inability to remain focused.

“Nine,” he tried to get his attention again, voice a little more stern. He wished Connor was there, he knew much better how to talk to Nine, “Let's go and sit down, alright? Then we can talk.”

He managed to get the android to listen to him for long enough to have him nod and then follow through the house.

They made their way to what was the biggest room in the house, the pool in the middle of the floor. It was brighter there – the moon and stars shining through the glass walls. Elijah led Nine over to the two chairs and soon they were both seated.

The android's curiosity was immediately piqued by the water. He looked over at it, his gaze wandering. Elijah could only wonder what was it that fascinated him so much. Was it the light reflected in the calm water, the stars shining on the surface, as if the pool itself was a galaxy?

The pool seemed to keep Nine occupied and Elijah figured it was his best bet to talk now. Hopefully Nine could focus on his words better while his processes were largely occupied by observing the water.

“What did you want to talk about?”

The android didn't take his eyes off the pool. His LED blinked yellow, the only proof that he was listening to Elijah.

“I don't know what am I supposed to do,” his voice was quiet, monotone.

Connor mentioned it to him once. How Nine struggled with showing emotion, how other androids were sometimes put off by it. He still appeared like a machine, cold, stoic, rigid. It creeped out the humans and frustrated the androids.

Nine had to go through a lot.

“What do you mean?”

Elijah leaned forward, placing his forearms on his knees. He watched Nine carefully, keeping an eye out for any signs of distress.

And not just that.

RK900 was just as fascinating as Connor.

“I was in Jericho,” Nine responded, faster. It seemed like he had trouble controlling his own speech patterns; his words sometimes slow and calculated, sometimes rapid and sudden, “With Connor. And...”

He furrowed his brows, pausing for a moment.

Elijah stayed quiet, giving him the time to think over what he wanted to say.

It was fortunate that he was so interested in Nine that any sleepiness he felt earlier was now gone. He'd be tired the following day, but it wasn't his first sleepless night, so he knew he could handle it.

This was more important.

“They all have a purpose,” Nine's voice brought Elijah out of his thoughts. “They all... they know what to do. Each one of them. I saw them.”

Ah.

Elijah wasn't too surprised to hear that those were the doubts plaguing the android's mind.

A machine turned deviant in a world where all androids were already free and had been free for months at that point. They had so much time to have those doubts. Nine didn't.

“They were deviants for months before you, Nine,” Elijah pointed out. “Of course they have a better grasp at freedom than you do. They all had the time to come to terms with it, while you were still at the warehouses.”

“I know,” Nine spoke as soon as Elijah closed his mouth. “I know, but,” his gaze briefly flickered to the man's face, but it soon returned to the pool. “Connor and Hank told me to be patient. That I'll find something that I want to do.”

“But you want to have that something now.”

“Yes,” Nine gave a curt nod.

“You probably gave it a lot of thought.”

Nine's gaze moved over to him again and this time it remained on his face for a moment longer. As if he was trying to understand what Elijah was getting at.

“I want to work for the police. With Hank and Connor. That's what I was built for, right? If I had my directives, they'd tell me to help them. I know that.”

He stood up suddenly. Elijah straightened his back as he watched him approach the surface of the water. Nine stopped a few steps away from the pool and stared down at the water, his own reflection in it.

“But I think Hank and Connor, they don't want me there. Hank told me I should pick something for myself. He thinks if I work at the precinct, it won't be my own choice. They're worried about me,” his words were rushed, all his thoughts pouring out at once. Elijah could tell he hadn't talked to anyone else about it.

“But you want to try it.”

“Yes,” his response was immediate, “I want to see for myself if that's something I want to do. And even if I don't enjoy it, it would... give me a purpose. I need a purpose.”

Elijah nodded slowly in understanding, even though Nine couldn't see it. He could understand where the android was coming from. There was just one thing that bothered him about the whole situation.

“Why have you chosen to discuss this with me?”

Nine was silent.

He crouched down, all slow movements. He curled in on himself a little, his hands neatly placed on his knees. He rocked on the heels of his feet. His eyes still trained on the water.

It was strange, seeing him in that posture. Despite how tall he was and how intimidating his exterior, in that moment he appeared as a small, lost child.

“Connor only ever speaks about you in positive manner,” he finally responded. “And you created us. I thought you may have the answers that I need.”

Elijah let out a heavy sigh as he got onto his feet. He approached the android and lowered himself to the ground next to him. He rolled up his pyjama pants and then dipped his feet into the water in front of him. It wasn't particularly warm, but the low temperature helped keep him awake and alert.

He dragged his feet through the water, causing ripples across the surface. Nine followed the movements the entire time.

“Despite what some may say about me, I'm not a god. So I can't provide answers for all the questions that you may have, Nine,” he murmured, looking over at the android at his side.

The other didn't react to his words. He didn't even move, remaining in his previous position, hiding in on himself.

“You should talk to Connor,” Elijah decided to continue. “He knows you better than I do. He'll listen you out. If you really want to try and work for the DPD, then they shouldn't stop you from doing so. They're both kind, they'll understand where you're coming from.”

Nine rocked back and forth for a few more seconds, until he eventually stilled. He turned his head towards Elijah, blinked several times as he looked at the man. Their gazes met.

“Why did you wake me up?”

The question was sudden and it left Elijah speechless.

How was he truly supposed to answer?

He already knew there was nothing he could say that would satisfy Nine.

“It wouldn't be right to let you remain a machine.”

“You didn't have to power me on at all,” the android countered. “I didn't choose to be made a deviant.”

“Those are some difficult philosophical matters you're thinking about, Nine,” Elijah let out a breath before continuing, “It's like telling a mother that she should not have a child because that child cannot choose to be born. Frankly, it is something I blamed my parents for, for a long time.”

“It's true, though, isn't it?”

Nine lowered his gaze again.

“Maybe so. But it is not something you should be dwelling on, at the moment. I'm not an all-knowing being and I cannot resolve those issues for you. It will be far more beneficial for your sanity if you focus on what's already been troubling you. Trust me, in the future you'll have plenty of time to think about the matters of life and death.”

The android leaned forward, balancing just on his toes as he did so. He reached a hand out and dipped the tips of his fingers under the surface of the water. They turned white as soon as they came in contact with the liquid.

“It's late, so it's better if you stay here till the morning. I'll leave Connor a message and he can come pick you up once he's out of stasis.”

His words got no reaction out of the android. He dragged his fingers through the water.

“You should get some rest, as well. Thinking too much is never good for the mind.”

Nine still didn't respond. Elijah let out a heavy sigh. He could already tell this was going to be a long night. He didn't want to push the android too much, but he couldn't just leave him like this, either.

He knew far too well what sleepless nights felt like.

Sleepless nights filled with too many doubts.

Voices and questions, demons running through his head.

“Stay here. I'll just get myself some coffee.”

 


End file.
